A “Name” Art Project Using Primary and Secondary Colors

This bubble name art is a simple, fun, art project designed to begin a discussion or re-enforce one about the primary colors, the secondary colors, and how they contrast and compliment each other.

There is no wrong or right way to make bubble letters. The important things is to make them capital letters. Some children who find bubble letters challenging may construct rectangles and squares instead of more oval or rounded letters. This is perfectly fine. Most first-timers will struggle more with making the letters large enough than they will over the shape.

The concept of filling a piece of paper with a name may require some planning and an example. A good idea is to copy the name, the child’s first, or first and last name, if it is a short name, onto a piece of scrap paper. Then one at a time, cross off the outside letters until the center letter is reached. Once the budding artist knows what the middle letter is, then with a sharpened pencil, he or she should add the large middle letter to the center of the blank paper.

If the first letter winds up being too small or being a small alphabet letter, that’s what the good gum eraser is for. If the erasing gets messy enough, there is always the back of the paper. After the center letter is drawn with a pencil onto the white paper, it’s time to go to the left-hand side of the paper and create the capital first letter. Then go to the right-hand side of the page and make a capital last letter. Once these letters are anchored on the paper, it makes it easier to plot the correct location for the remaining letters.

Once the bubble letters are done to the child’s satisfaction, divide the page into thirds with squiggle lines from the left to the right side of the paper, horizontally. You could discuss here what a horizon line is if that helps the child understand what the line should look like. There should be two lines across the center of the paper at this point.

Then vertically, or up and down, dive the paper into thirds again, with two vertical squiggle lines spaced fairly evenly in the center of the paper. Children may need help with a mark on their papers to understand where these lines should begin.

At this point, introduce the terms primary colors and secondary colors. Most children have a passing understanding of these terms already. This project may only be a re-enforcement of something they already know. They should be able to tell you the primary colors are red, yellow and blue before they begin, and if they are not sure, these colors should be written on a scrap piece of paper.

Explain that only the top third of the paper is ready for color, and only the bubble letters are being filled in. Explain that the art project is much more interesting if the primary colors are creating a pattern rather than side by side.

When the bubble letters on the top third of the paper are finished, it’s time to talk about the secondary colors, orange, purple and green. Again, the child needs to be solid on what these colors are before he or she begins the background on the top third of the paper.

When the top third of the paper is colored in, it’s time for the second section of the project. Again, the primary colors should be used inside the bubble letters, but the color pattern should change so a quilt-like effect is being created. When the bubble letters are finished, again fill in the background colors with secondary colors, a different pattern than was used on the tom section of the paper.

On the bottom third of the page, again, remembering the quilt-like look of the top of the page, use different primary colors in the bottom section of the bubble letters, and use different secondary colors in the bottom section of the back ground. Because primary colors were used in the bubble letters, the child’s name should be the object in the project the eyes focus on.

This is a fun and colorful project, ideal for a spring art project because students are thinking bright, happy, flower-like colors that arrive in Easter eggs, spring flowers and spring clothes.